Sing for your Supper

A staff report - localnews@examiner.net

Wednesday

Oct 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMOct 29, 2008 at 4:22 PM

On Tuesday morning, 15 Kansas City area organizations were given two minutes to impress a panel of judges (the mayors of Blue Springs, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown and Grandview) at the fifth annual Sing for Your Supper event at the John Knox Pavilion in Lee’s Summit.

There was Mr. Rogers, a sassy but sad rendition of “Found a Good Job in the City” and, yes, there was a man in a thong.

On Tuesday morning, 15 Kansas City area organizations were given two minutes to impress a panel of judges (the mayors of Blue Springs, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown and Grandview) at the fifth annual Sing for Your Supper event at the John Knox Pavilion in Lee’s Summit.

“Didn’t all the groups do an amazing job this morning?” said Debbie Starke, executive director of the Eastland Community Foundation, the group responsible for the planning of the event. “Such great voices and such great talent; every day in the community they’re making an incredible difference.”

The stakes: grant money, compliments of the Eastland Community Foundation. Grants are the lifeblood of not-for-profits and volunteer service groups.

StandUp Blue Springs, which operates health and safety programs with an emphasis on providing free dental care for needy children, rocked and rolled to a slew of tunes encouraging proper tooth brushing.

Special Neighbors, Inc., which provides support for people with developmental disabilities, used Mr. Rogers’ example to prove how good a neighbor they are.

Rainbow Center – whose mission is to provide a safe, nurturing and social environment for persons with special needs – gave those in attendance a sneak peek of Wreaths & Wraths, a fundraiser Nov. 22 at the Ararat Shrine Temple. Bryan Busby, chief meteorologist at KMBC, made a cardboard cutout cameo Monday morning.

Hope House, which offers safe refuge and supportive services for women victimized by domestic violence, voiced a catchy tune about the gravity of domestic violence in half a dozen languages.

Hillcrest Ministries, which provides temporary housing for the homeless, strummed a cowpoking tune about self-sufficiency.

Community Services League, which helps families help themselves through counseling and resources, sung about losing a good job in the city, getting help at CSL and finding another good job in the city.

Blue Springs R-IV Education Foundation, which enhances programs and instruction at the district through grants and scholarships, were doing the Blue Springs Foundation education twist – with shouts from Superintendent Paul Kinder on saxophone.

The Blue Springs Art League, which strives to foster greater interest in the visual arts, spoke as matrons for high culture – and if you don’t like it, they’ll debate you.

The winners of Sing for Your Supper:

First place ($3,000): Lee’s Summit Social Services

Second place ($2,000): Lee’s Summit Cares

Third place ($1,000): Blue Springs R-IV Education Foundation

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